Franklin in Williamson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Battle of Franklin, Eastern Flank

Loring's Division

By Brandon Stahl, April 26, 2017

1. Eastern Flank Battlefield Park Marker

Inscription. In the Battle of Franklin, Confederate Gen. William W. Loring’s division formed the far right flank of the Confederate assault line. Numbering approximately 3,500 men, it marched across these fields and smashed into the Federal lines. The attempt to take the Union fortifications proved costly.

The division consisted of three brigades. To your right and left marched Gen. Winfield S. Featherston’s six Mississippi infantry regiments and his battalion of Mississippi sharpshooters. Mostly to your right, Gen. Thomas M. Scott led the smallest brigade, which included five Alabama regiments and one from Louisiana. Gen. John Adams and six more Mississippi regiments followed close behind them.

As the men moved forward, heavy artillery fire and sheets of musketry tore into them. Conditions worsened as they reached the Federal lines, where a thick tangle of sharpened Osage orange abates blocked their advance. Unable to break through, some of the surviving officers and men began moving to the left, mixing their units in a confused mass, just as smoke and darkness began to cloak the battlefield.

In the ensuing fight, Loring’s division suffered more than 25 percent casualties, with 900 killed, wounded, missing, or captured in less than five hours.

Location. 35° 54.329′ N, 86° 51.583′ W. Marker is in Franklin, Tennessee, in Williamson County. Marker can be reached from Eastern Flank Circle 0.4 miles south of Lewsiburg Pike (Business U.S. 431), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is located in Eastern Flank Battlefield Park. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1345 Eastern Flank Cir, Franklin TN 37064, United States of America.

William W. loring (1818-1886) lost an arm in the War with Mexico (1846-1848). During the Battle of Franklin, he lost almost a thousand men. Also a veteran of the Seminole Wars, the western frontier, and several Civil War campaigns, the 45- year old was highly experienced but never especially successful in combat. That trend continued at Franklin, where he lost over a quarter of his command in five hours. Loring himself survived the battle and the war and became a military adviser to the Viceroy of Egypt.

Battle of Franklin Trust Archives

5. Gen. John Adams

Gen. John Adams (1825-1864) of Nashville was one of the most prominent officers among the many in Loring’s division who died here. A West Point graduate, Adams served the U.S. Army in Mexico, California, Minnesota, and elsewhere before joining the Confederacy in 1861. Here at Franklin, when his brigade became stuck in front of the Federal lines, the mounted Adams pulled his steed to the left, looking for a place to break though. He soon turned toward the Union entrenchments and was shot off his horse. Whether Adams died instantly is unknown, but the fate of his horse is certain. The steed perished astride the entrenchments, where its body remained for days.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 18, 2017. This page originally submitted on May 17, 2017, by Brandon Stahl of Fairfax, Virginia. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 17, 2017, by Brandon Stahl of Fairfax, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.